West Seattle, Washington
17 Tuesday
Thanks to the reader who sent that video recorded this weekend near Anchor/Luna Park. This otter, and almost all the otters that live in Puget Sound, are River Otters, not Sea Otters, and as this one is demonstrating, they spend time on land as well as in the water – sometimes getting to and from their dens requires a trip across roads like Alki Avenue, Harbor Avenue, or Beach Drive – that’s where Chemine Jackels got this photo of a River Otter off Constellation Park last week:
Learn more about River Otters via this one-sheet.
Those nine birds are featured in West Seattle writer Lori Kothe‘s book “Birds Near My Home in the City by the Sea” (and have been featured many times in photos here on WSB). Any sightings this weekend carry extra importance. Lori explains in this request she asked us to share with you:
I have an ask of everyone in West Seattle now through midnight Feb 16: Download the Merlin Bird ID app and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count (birdcount.org) for at least 15 minutes. See if you can find all nine birds featured in my picture book! The GBBC is a global citizen science annual event currently taking place (Feb 13-16, 2026) where people report birds they notice near them, and their data highlights in real time on a map.
As the author/illustrator of Birds Near My Home in the City by the Sea, this year, I am challenging all of West Seattle to participate to discover our bird neighbors and show the world what birds live here, and have added a virtual event to the map at bird count.org. It is super easy to use the app and honestly has opened my eyes and ears to all the birds around us. When I wrote the book, I pretty much only knew nine birds. Now I have 27 on my lifer list. Merlin enables someone to just tap the record button, and in real time it “hears a bird” and suggests what bird it is with photos and info, and the prompt to say “that’s my bird” and add it to your lifer list. That’s all you need to do to have your bird data added during the count!
And… Saturday, Feb 14 (today) from (now until) 2 pm, the Environmental Science Center’s Bird Fest is taking place at the Burien Community Center. I’ll be there with my book set up in the park as a story walk to play Bird Bingo and Trivia, and offering a bird suncatcher art activity. There will be live raptors and loads of info and activities for families. It’s a free event.
You can participate in the Bird Count without downloading an app, by the way – this page explains how. Lori adds, “I would love if people would send you their bird sightings from the weekend and any stories about birds so readers could share and compare lists of all the birds spotted near our home.” (Comments are great too.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Beavers are beneficial – not a nuisance.
That’s a big message carried on their behalf by “Freelance Beaver Detective” Pamela Adams, who was featured speaker at this afternoon’s weekly lunch meeting of the Rotary Club of West Seattle (WSB sponsor).
She gave attendees a crash course in beaver biology, first explaining how she happened into her intense interest in urban beavers – particularly in eastern West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek, where she says five beaver families, 30+ beavers, are currently living. “This is becoming quite a bit of research.” She’s also now the subject of a film (watch the trailer here).
She’s found all sorts of other wildlife, including salamanders, and says the beaver dams have helped increase the Longfellow Creek coho because the water is cleaner near their dams. Beavers are “like a probiotic in our watershed” – and they’re on the upswing, after they were all but eradicated over the centuries by humans who didn’t want them around.
They live in family groups and are monogamous – they’ll mate for life. Two of the local families live on the golf course. They also prefer to stay in the water; they are “not always destroyers of trees,” she reiterated. “Their flat scaly trail stores their fat – and that’s their imprints.” Their tails include “a little vertebrae.” They slap their tails to communicate. Their construction includes many different structures and challenges. “They don’t usually live in the dams,” she noted, Most of the construction work is done by the females.
Longfellow Creek was devoid of beavers 30+ years ago, according to a city biologist report that Adams found, but then one was sighted at a creek celebration on April 15, 2000. Flash forward to last May, when she helped a biologist release a baby beaver that needed a new family. A few hours later, an adult beaver showed up and took it to join the rest of the family. “When you see them in person … it’s like you’re seeing a kind of divinity.”
She says she’s trying to get city departments to work together to stop destroying/displacing the Longfellow dams, given their ecological benefit. Beavers benefit birds too, she agreed after a Rotarian brought that up during the Q&A sections. Find out more about Adams’ work (and see videos – our clip above is mostly a chance to hear her short talk, as the projection screen was partly blocked) on her website.
Also at the Rotary Club’s weekly meeting:
EARL CRUZEN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS: Four students from the Automotive Technology program at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) took turns at the podium to thank Rotarians for the tool sets that are at the heart of the scholarship, which one recipient said was “everything that I needed to get started in the automotive industry.” (Here’s the story behind the scholarship’s namesake, who died nine years ago.)
GAMBRIELL SCHOLARSHIP: Applications are open now – here’s the link. April 1 is the application deadline.
NEXT WEEK: The meeting next Tuesday (February 17) will have two guests – artist Saya Moriyasu and, just confirmed during today’s meeting, U.S. House Rep. Pramila Jayapal (who is a West Seattle resident when not in D.C.).
The Rotary Club of West Seattle meets at noon Tuesdays most weeks at the West Seattle Golf Course. Guests can inquire about checking out meetings – find out how here.
(2023 photo by Kersti Muul)
One year after filling the room at a local community council meeting and explaining why people should be “less anxious” about beavers, Pamela Adams will talk to the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s weekly lunch gathering this Tuesday (February 10). The self-styled “Beaver Detective” is expected, the WS Rotary (WSB sponsor) says, to give attendees “a guided journey through Longfellow Creek, home to five known beaver families, and share how beavers are reshaping this urban creek, the importance of thoughtful human stewardship, and a hopeful, science-grounded look at how cities and wildlife can thrive together.” The meeting starts at noon Tuesday at the West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th SW); if you’re interested in attending, ws_rotary@yahoo.com is the email contact.
Sorry, no “Seahawk” (Osprey) or even Superb Owl in the lineup today, but we do have six more bird photos to share in the last game-day gallery of this football season, courtesy of readers! Above, a Kingfisher that Steve Bender spotted at T-107 Park; he also photographed the “dancing” waterfowl below, at Jack Block Park:
Yvonne Frankovich photographed this juvenile Bald Eagle:
Also up in a tree with a view, these Crows, from Janelle Otterholt:
A Bewick’s Wren, from Jon Anderson:
And Jerry Simmons contributes the American Goldfinch:
We of course publish bird photos the rest of the year too, including sometimes as the highlight photo on our event lists each morning – thanks to everyone for sharing bird and other photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com is the best way (unless breaking news, which can be texted to 206-293-6302) – thank you!
Fauntleroy Creek didn’t see many spawners during last fall’s coho-salmon return, but the first results have just appeared! Judy Pickens from the Fauntleroy Watershed Council shares the photo from Dave Gershgorn and report from Dennis Hinton:https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=1141337&action=edit#edit_timestamp
We spotted the first tiny little coho emergents from the fall spawn today. Observed four little fry in the exact same spot where we saw the spawning pair, in the curve just above the fish ladder. Saw another eight just a few feet up the creek, below the first bridge. Dave got excellent photo proof, attached. So if you were desperately looking for a little good news today, here it is. New life on the creek. Heaven on this 60-degree, almost spring day.
(October photo of salmon in Longfellow Creek by Manuel Valdes)
Puget Soundkeeper has released its full report on the fall salmon season in Longfellow Creek. It’s been monitoring coho salmon in the eastern West Seattle creek for a decade now, with a focus on gathering data about how urban pollution affects salmon survival. As its announcement explains:
For years, Longfellow Creek has been the epicenter of research studying the effects of 6PPD-quinone – a toxic tire chemical lethal to Coho salmon. Exposure to 6PPD-quinone causes a condition called Urban Runoff Mortality Syndrome (URMS), a disease characterized by symptoms such as disorientation and gasping for air, often killing Coho
within 24 hours. Furthermore, this chemical has been strongly linked to Pre-Spawn Mortality (PSM), where adult salmon die before successfully reproducing. Puget Soundkeeper’s annual Pre-Spawn Mortality Survey analyzes the spawning success of Coho salmon in Longfellow Creek to better understand the impacts of 6PPD-quinone.
Here’s a one-sheet with results of this year’s survey, conducted from October through December. 55.5% of coho in Longfellow Creek died before spawning, and Puget Soundkeeper says that’s consistent with the data it’s been collecting since 2015 – some years up to 90 percent of the fish died before spawning.
So what can be done? Puget Soundkeeper says:
Fortunately, solutions exist. Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) projects, such as raingardens or bioswales, can effectively remove toxins from runoff and prevent harmful chemicals from entering our waters. In addition to GSI projects, policy action is critical. A bill (HB 2421) aimed at removing 6PPD from tires was introduced to the Washington State House and Senate Environment Committees last week. Community members can help move this legislation forward by calling their representatives and voicing their support. [Here’s how]
Puget Soundkeeper will be recruiting the next cohort of salmon surveyors in August; stay tuned to our website for more information. Puget Soundkeeper thanks all volunteers, partners, and donors who make this project possible.
There are also volunteer cleanups during the season; we reported on one back in November.
With the Seahawks‘ conference-championship game under way, we have one of our periodic game-day mini-galleries of bird photos sent by readers – starting, above, with the real-life “seahawk,” an Osprey, photographed by Steve Bender, who added the caption. Steve also sent these next three photos – Barrow’s Goldeneyes:
A Mallard:
And Canada Geese:
Also by the sea, a Gull photographed by @alexdavismitt
Also in the fog, a Hummingbird view from Troy Sterk:
Thanks again for the bird photos (which we also publish with some of our daily event lists, between galleries, like this one) – westseattleblog@gmail.com any time!
(Photos courtesy Kersti Muul)
5:08 PM SUNDAY: Bald Eagles are not an uncommon sight in West Seattle. But what two eagles did this afternoon at Lincoln Park was unusual enough to get extra attention from bystanders – and ultimately wildlife experts. We heard from callers/texters shortly after 1 pm, saying two eagles were “stuck together” on the ground after some sort of airborne confrontation. Onlookers were worried the eagles would not be able to untangle themselves from each other; it appeared that one had its talons in the other’s eye. The people we heard from were trying to contact everyone they could think of who might be able to help. Those who responded included Kersti Muul (who’s been involved with other eagle interventions), as well as officers from state wildlife and local animal control.
The eagles did manage to untangle themselves. Kersti says one was taken to the PAWS rehab center north of Seattle. In general, she says, watching for a while to see if birds can get themselves out of a predicament is prudent – but on the other hand, she notes, “Also being a public park, intervention may have been a good course of action. She suspects what happened was a “territorial dispute,” having noticed a prospective “interloper” in recent days in Gatewood, uphill from the park.
4:06 PM: Kersti told us today that the injured eagle definitely wasn’t one of Lincoln Park’s “resident pair” – she got word they were seen “intact on their usual perch.” Meantime, we hadn’t followed up with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife but received a statement from them about all this – here’s what WDFW spokesperson Chase Gunnell sent, in its entirety:
We saw your article and wanted to make sure you had the following information:
At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Police received a report of two bald eagles fighting in Lincoln Park in Seattle. One eagle was reported to be injured. Members of the public were attempting to capture the eagle. While a Fish and Wildlife Officer was enroute, a call was received that the injured eagle had been successfully placed in a crate, and a member of public could take the eagle to a local rehabilitation location. The Officer advised the individual to transport the animal to PAWS Wildlife Center and confirmed that the animal had been received by PAWS.
WDFW wildlife biologists believe the eagles were fighting due to a territorial dispute. While dramatic for onlookers, this behavior is fairly common this time of year with the onset of bald eagle mating season (typically late-fall through spring), when bald eagles stake out territories before building nests and laying eggs later in winter through early-spring.
How to report injured eagles
If people encounter an injured bald eagle, please report it to WDFW using the form on our website at https://wdfw.wa.gov/get-involved/report-observations, or by calling 360-902-2936 or emailing WILDCOMM@dfw.wa.gov.
The public can also submit a report to USFWS’ Washington state office or to a local permitted wildlife rehabilitator.
WDFW coordinates closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on bald eagles given the federally protected status of this species. Background information on bald eagle management is available on this webpage.
Please do not handle injured wildlife, including eagles
It is natural for people to want to help when they find wildlife in distress, especially in highly visible locations. However, intervening without the proper knowledge, tools, and protective equipment can be dangerous for the animal and for yourself.
The only time you should consider intervening in a wild animal’s life is if it is clearly sick or injured, or if you are certain the parent of a juvenile animal is dead. In those cases, always consult with a permitted wildlife rehabilitator or WDFW before touching or moving an animal for your safety and to avoid unnecessary handling. The wildlife rehabilitator will advise you on next steps.
It is illegal for anyone in Washington without a permit to hold or attempt to care for wildlife. Attempting to care for wildlife without the appropriate skills and experience can make the situation worse. Eagles – and many other birds – are further protected under additional state and federal laws. Handling wildlife without proper personal protective equipment increases the risk of spreading diseases including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
For more information on what to do if you find sick or injured wildlife, visit the WDFW wildlife rehabilitation webpage. You can also find a permitted wildlife rehabilitator near you on WDFW’s website.
If you cannot find a permitted wildlife rehabilitator with the capacity or ability to take in the sick or injured wildlife you found, you may also contact a licensed veterinarian to see if they can help.
More information on wildlife rehabilitators is available in this WDFW blog post.
Thanks to everyone who’s sent enough bird photos that we can bring you this Sunday gallery! Above, Lindsay Gonzalez saw the “brown crow” – technically known as “leucistic” – with one of its more-common-colored counterparts at Westwood Village. (Our fascination with these dates back to the saga of “Leucy,” who died in the 2009 heat wave.) We also received two owl photos – a Barn Owl, which Zutsea says is the first one they’ve seen in 20+ years in West Seattle:
And we’ll confess, this next owl photo wasn’t taken in West Seattle, but it was sent to us by WSB reader Tanya Stambuk, who photographed this Great Horned Owl in Gig Harbor:
(They HAVE been seen here, too.) We don’t have an ID on this bird – a hawk? – photographed by Jon Anderson:
Now a few much-smaller birds – Gene Pavola caught a hummingbird pausing:
Joshua Crowgey sent this pic of a Dark-eyed Junco:
From Jerry Simmons, an Orange-crowned Warbler:
He also sent this Bald Eagle photo:
And we conclude with another bird seen on the shore =- Robin Sinner photographed Sanderlings at Constellation Park:
Once more, HUGE thanks to everyone who’s sent bird photos through the year, as well as wildlife, other scenery, and breaking news too – we really appreciate being able to share your discoveries – westseattleblog@gmail.com is optimal but if/when text works better for you – and when it’s breaking news – we’re at 206-293-6302.
(Photo by Jerry Simmons, who captioned it ‘a couple of nutcrackers’)
Want to see somewhat wilder wildlife on Christmas? Assuming the potential windstorm treats trees, wildlife, and the rest of us kindly, here’s an invitation we were asked to share with you for tomorrow morning:
4th Annual Christmas Bird / Nature Walk in Lincoln Park (Morning this year)
Get outside Xmas morning at West Seattle’s Lincoln Park for an informal Bird and Nature Walk-ho sted by a volunteer Naturalist.
*No experience necessary; all levels of knowledge are welcome!
*We’ll look for winter birds both on the water and in the forest. We hope to get to see some of these: wild ducks / waterfowl, Juncos, Song sparrows, Chickadees, Robins, Woodpeckers, Corvids, Kinglets, Bald eagle, Cooper hawk, Hummingbirds, Wrens, and more – if we’re lucky.WHERE: Lincoln Park: 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW. Park in the SOUTH Parking Lot (smaller lot closer to the ferry). Look for us at Shelter #3 (down by the water, near the restrooms).
WHEN: 9:30 AM Introduction & Lincoln Park wildlife (time is to take advantage of high tide when water birds are more prolific) .
Bird Walk departs. 9:45 AM – Return to parking lot 11:15-11:30 am.BRING:
*BYOB! – (bring your own Binoculars) Will definitely enhance your experience if you have them or can borrow a pair. We may have an extra. Scope – if anyone has one – please bring it!
*Dry / Warm Clothing Layers (especially on your FEET, head and torso) since it can be quite chilly by the water. Bring gloves. Rain gear for the possible shower or two in the forecast. It WILL be muddy in places.
*Water / snack if you wishNOTES:
*No DOGS please – we love ‘em but wildlife definitely does not
*ROUTE: We will start out along the flat trail by the water for about 30 min and then will walk up the incline into the forest. Most L. Pk trails are about a 5% incline, but the incline into the forest can be steep. You may turn around at the incline and return to parking if you wish. Note: It is also fairly steep from the parking lot down to Shelter #3
*Sometimes they close the RESTROOMS at Lincoln Park. Hoping that’s not the case. But best to prepare a contingency plan should that happen.
*CHILDREN may not enjoy this outing unless they are accustomed to walking slowly and have experience standing quietly for long periods of time.
With one week until Christmas, you might still be shopping for special people on your list. If any of them are nature fans – West Seattle photographer and naturalist Madison Kirkman might have the perfect gift idea: “My partner and I have been working on making a calendar for the Seattle area with all kinds of naturalist information for the area – whale migrations, what can be foraged and when, salmon viewing, heron nesting, low tides, moon phases, etc. This is the first year we are selling it.” You can order the calendar here for $20. Madison has a free online version too – “We don’t want money to be an exclusionary factor for anyone having this information. We just want people to know what exists around us and how/when to see it! So it’s a local resource online and also a calendar if anyone wants to physically see it at a glance.”
Our featured photo atop Friday’s West Seattle event list was that of a California Sea Lion hanging out at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, photographed the previous day by Jan Pendergrass. As we always do when we get a report and/or photo about a marine mammal ashore, we asked if Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network had been notified, and she assured us they had. Today, Seal Sitters’ David Hutchinson provides us with more photos and the backstory on what happened:
(Photos by David Hutchinson, Seal Sitters MMSN)
The Seal Sitters Hotline received a call Thursday afternoon concerning a sea lion on one of the docks at the Don Armeni Boat Ramp. A responder was sent to assess the situation and additional volunteers were contacted.
While sea lions commonly do use docks to rest, it’s unusual for them to haul out at this location, so our NOAA network partner SR3 was contacted for assistance with a visual health assessment. SR3 operates a marine mammal hospital in Des Moines, south of Seattle, and Seal Sitters always appreciates their expertise when questions come up about a marine mammal’s condition. The consensus was that this animal, while a bit thin, at this time was just using the dock to rest. Seal Sitters maintained a presence, monitoring its condition.
A few hours later, the first sea lion was joined by a second one. We want to thank the boaters for their cooperation in giving these animals space to rest by launching and retrieving their boats from the other dock. In our urban environment, there are limited areas where marine mammals can safely rest. Both of these animals returned to the waters of Elliott Bay later in the evening.
Seal Sitters had some questions about a possible brand on the first sea lion and some circular marks on the second one. After a study of photographs taken at the site, KC Scofield, SR3’s Response Program Coordinator, determined that they were familiar with the first sea lion on the dock. He was nicknamed “Oscar” by locals in the Des Moines marina, where he resided for some time last winter. He was “treated in the field” for what appeared to be an infected jaw injury. That injury is still visible in Thursday’s photo but no longer appears infected. SR3 provided us with the following links to learn more about Oscar’s story: here and here.
KC also felt that the circular marks on the second sea lion were likely bite marks from a “Cookie Cutter shark.” She mentioned that “Marine mammals are often the favorite snack of these little sharks and while the bites may look bad, they recover quite well from them.”
Seal Sitters and SR3 are members of NOAA’s West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network. Seal Sitters covers the West Seattle shoreline from Brace Point through Harbor Island and the Duwamish River. Our Hotline is staffed from 8 AM – 8 PM every day of the week. Please report any marine mammal you come across on the beach, alive or dead, or if you feel that an animal in the water is in distress. You can leave a voice mail if calling during other hours.
The hotline number is 206-905-SEAL – that’s 206-905-7325.
Time for one of our periodic Sunday afternoon bird galleries, thanks to the photographers who’ve sent pics! We start with three from the prolific Jerry Simmons – above, an Anna’s Hummingbird; below, Canada Geese, and a quizzical Bushtit:
Tom Trulin photographed this Mallard at Cove Park in Fauntleroy:
Steve Bender found this Heron in South Park:
Julia Schroeder photographed this Bald Eagle outside her home:
And Mark Carroll sent this sighting from North Shorewood:
Between galleries, we also publish bird photos with our daily lists on occasion, along with other types of West Seattle photos – thanks again to everyone who shares theirs, so we can in turn share with you – westseattleblog@gmail.com any time!
(This photo and next by Dave Gershgorn. Above, spawning pair that chose a spot just above the fish ladder)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
With great enthusiasm, 130 people kicked off Salmon Watch 2025 on Fauntleroy Creek with the Fauntleroy Watershed Council’s annual drumming to call in coho spawners. Dozens of vigorous fish had been sighted schooling in Fauntleroy Cove, and nearly three dozen volunteers made sure their route along the beach stayed open.
Watchers checked the spawning reach daily, school groups came on field trips, and 100 members of the general public came to the council’s “open creek” in the spawning reach on November 9. Everyone’s reward was slim, however. From October 26 through November 21, watchers documented only nine fish and one spawning pair.
(Full of eggs, the last spawner pushed ahead through the fish ladder November 10 without a mate)
While disappointing, such a low count is not unusual for small Seattle creeks. Since Fauntleroy Creek’s first documented pair, in 1994, the count has fluctuated between zero and last year’s record 347.
“These fish need high tides and ample rainfall to flush impurities out of the creek and give them easy entry at the mouth,” said veteran watcher Dennis Hinton. “This year, those conditions did not align, and predation in the cove were especially heavy.”
(Photo by Tom Trulin: Volunteers hosted students of all ages, including this group from the Urban Nature Preschool)
Volunteers will check the lower creek in February for home-hatch fry, then turn their attention to school releases in the spring. Next year, releases will happen in Longfellow Creek because of the culvert-replacement project. In order to replace the creek culvert under 45th Ave. SW, the contractor will need to dewater the site by pumping creek flow into a bypass pipe, which fish heading to saltwater from the upper creek would not survive.
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Last weekend, we reported on the annual Longfellow Creek cleanup event, hosted by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association. Each year, teams gather to clean up the park and chat with Puget Soundkeeper’s salmon-survey team.
In the wake of the event, Puget Soundkeeper shared their mid-survey data with us. Of note is the fact that this is their first year performing necropsies on both female and male salmon. So far this year, the team has counted 402 live salmon and 125 dead salmon in Longfellow Creek, for a total recorded population of 529. See the data for this year and last year here.
For the past several years, in addition to tracking the coho population, they’ve been monitoring for Urban Runoff Mortality Syndrome (URMS), a condition caused primarily by chemical runoff from car tires. So far this season, the team has recorded 13 live coho with URMS.
When it works its way into a coho population, URMS can be devastating to population numbers. A key element of Puget Soundkeeper’s work has been both tracking and combating the use of 6PPD-Q, the chemical responsible for URMS.
“Unfortunately, the chemical 6PPD-Q has been standard in tire construction for years and is an essential safety mechanism,” said Ewan Henderson, a Clean Water Program Specialist with Puget Soundkeeper. “This means it’s in every tire on the road and can’t really be banned until a viable alternative is on the market.”
But, according to Henderson, last week saw a significant reason for hope. In the past seven days, Wales-based company Perpetuus Advanced Materials and Ohio-based company Flexsys have both announced alternatives to 6PPD-Q, both of which may lead to a reduced environmental impact. However, Henderson pointed out, there are still no policy changes stemming from these developments.
For now, Henderson says the “main focus is on filtering polluted storm water before entering streams,” including using green infrastructure, which has proved effective at reducing the levels of 6PPD-Q in waterways. Here’s a video Henderson recommended from King County Natural Resources and Parks, which explains how green infrastructure works.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in volunteering or donating, or learning more about Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, you can go here.
1 PM: Until 3 pm today, you’re invited to go to upper Fauntleroy Way and SW Director [map] – near the public overlook – and volunteers will invite you down to the banks of Fauntleroy Creek, to see if any coho spawners are in view. We have a team member there and will update as soon as we hear from him!
1:14 PM: WSB’s Torin Record-Sand reports that so far today, salmon watchers have seen two carcasses, no live fish.
Longtime creek volunteer Dennis Hinton says the two were pulled out by a raccoon – but they had spawned before that,
So far, the count this year of coho making it to the spawning area is eight, but they’ve seen about 200 near the creek mouth not far from the ferry dock, where hungry seals have had a heyday, so, of these two and the six others seen: “They’ve made it through a lot of predators to get up here.”
1:55 PM: As of about 15 minutes ago, creek volunteers have counted 54 visitors today.
Many families with little kids, and even though no live fish have shown up yet today, the carcasses have inspired many questions!
2:56 PM: Shoutout to volunteer Elena for the salmon cookies:
Visitors are receiving information on how to volunteer and donate to support the Fauntleroy Watershed Council‘s work supporting and advocating for the creek and its wildlife – all that info is linked here.
MONDAY UPDATE: Creek steward Judy Pickens tells us they counted 100 visitors in all during the two-hour window. And today, two more coho made it into the creek – after somehow surviving a gauntlet of predators, mostly harbor seals, but even a river otter joining the buffet line.
(Monday photo by Dave Gershgorn)
That’s one of the coho salmon seen by volunteers earlier this week near the mouth of Fauntleroy Creek. We don’t know the fate of that particular one – hungry seals have been hanging out there too – but Judy Pickens from the Fauntleroy Watershed Council tells WSB tonight that salmon watchers have seen “eight coho spawners make landfall so far,” so they’re going to welcome visitors this Sunday:
Given the forecast of dry and mild weather, we’ve decided to host our open creek this coming Sunday (11/9) from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Salmon watchers will be on duty to talk with visitors and, we hope, give them a view of live fish. People should come to the fish-ladder viewpoint at SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way SW to catch the eye of a watcher, who will invite them down to creek level. Children aged 15 and younger should come with an adult, and dogs should be on leash.
(Fauntleroy Creek photo by Dave Gershgorn)
While we await election results, here’s a small but very important count: One! Coho-salmon spawners have been seen off the mouth of Fauntleroy Creek off and on for more than a week, and today, Judy Pickens of the Fauntleroy Watershed Council tells us, this one made it to the spawning reach. That meant it was visible from the public overlook across Fauntleroy Way (and upslope) from the ferry dock, but don’t go looking for a closer view – volunteers will figure out the right time for a potential “open creek” window when you’ll have a chance for an up-close look.
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
With marine life facing increasing challenges to survive and thrive, you might wonder, who’s the next generation of people studying to help them?
Answer: People like Lola Taylor, a third-year student at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, with an interest in marine animals. She’s a 5th-generation Seattleite who grew up here in West Seattle and graduated from Chief Sealth International High School. She is currently president of the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine Aquatics Club, which specializes in bringing speakers on the topic of veterinary work for marine animals, as well as offering lab work opportunities for students in the field.
(Officers of Aquatics Club at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, from left, Isabelle Hughes, VP; Katelin Buckley, treasurer; Lola Taylor, president; Katie McDonald, secretary. Photo: Ted S. Warren)
Taylor views her work as a crucial element of the dynamic we have with local marine life. “Humans are the reason marine animals end up in rehabilitation centers, and if humans are causing the issue, they have a responsibility to resolve the issue.” she said.
Her passion started here in West Seattle, on the shores of Puget Sound. As a child, she often visited her grandparents in The Arroyos. She was in second grade when she started taking her visits seriously as a way to engage with local aquatic life. “When I went to the beach, my mom said, ‘If you want to be a scientist, they record the things they observe, so you should take a notebook with you’.”
She started noting as much as she could about the local sea-star population (only now recovering from catastrophic losses): “I’d write down colors of starfish, how many there were, if they were dead or alive, and if one was drying out in the sun at low tide, I’d take it back to the water.” All of this, she said, gave her a solid foundation and appreciation for how deeply connected we are to the life on our shores. “My parents instilled in me respect for animals and the environment from a young age, and it’s shaped the course of my volunteering and career path.” she said.
(Photo courtesy Lola Taylor)
She has continued to work locally, helping animals both on and off shore. During high school, she volunteered with the Seattle Aquarium‘s “Youth Ocean Advocates” program for three years, contributing more than 400 hours of her time. Her relationship with the aquarium has continued, as she’s recently had opportunities to shadow the veterinary work there and continue to build connections. She’s also helped with the Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network here in West Seattle. She remembered fondly volunteering at the Alki Art Fair this summer with the group, doing education work while tabling: “I signed up for a 2-hour shift and kept talking the entire time, I hadn’t even realized two hours had passed – one of my fellow volunteers said ‘are you sure you want to go back to school after this?’”
Her dream is to be able to further this work after graduating from veterinary school. She said that while the field of aquatic veterinarians is very competitive, with limited spots, she is dedicated to the cause no matter what path she might follow. “Even if I don’t end up in the dream of working 40 hours a week at an aquarium, I hope to be able to give back volunteering.” she said.
Currently, her club is raising funds for a trip to the University of Washington‘s Friday Harbor Laboratories, in the San Juan Islands. The trip will allow them to tour the laboratories, as well as participate briefly in some of the work there, and see both local Salish Sea marine species and ways they help treat them. They’re fundraising mainly to provide transportation and housing for the trip, as they’re hoping to accommodate the whole of the club – around 30 students.
She’s hoping to share her passion for Pacific Northwest marine life with her fellow students who are from elsewhere. “A lot of students in our club are students from the East Coast or [other land-locked states] who have only really seen Pullman, this is a great opportunity for them to see the Salish Sea.” she said.
If you want to donate to help her club’s cause for further education about local marine wildlife, and help inspire a future generation of doctors and scientists who could help our local marine life, you can find their page here. The campaign runs only until November 12th, and she says time is of the essence so they can make the trip.
More salmon sightings in Longfellow Creek! Thanks to Manuel Valdes for the photos above and below:
Steve Pumphrey reports sightings too – “6 or 7 good-sized fish” – and sent this photo of a Great Blue Heron pondering some fishing on the creek:
The footbridge south of West Seattle Health Club (28th SW and SWYancy) is a popular viewing spot.
P.S. At Fauntleroy Creek, salmon-watch volunteers are still awaiting the first arrivals, hampered somewhat by downed trees that city crews need to clear.
Thanks to Gary Jones for the photos. Several readers asked today about the presence of multiple boats fishing with nets off Alki Point.
They’re purse seiners that show up about this time many years (here’s one of our past reports), fishing for chum salmon.
If you’re interested in the rules, maps, etc., here’s the 56-page document (which we also linked when purse seiners showed up briefly two months ago).
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand unless otherwise credited)
After all that rain, dozens of salmon spawners are approaching the entrance to Fauntleroy Creek. That’s what longtime salmon-watch volunteer Dennis Hinton told the 100+ people who gathered to ceremonially welcome them home this afternoon: “They’re out there, and they’re coming!”
(This photo and next by Dave Gershgorn)
It’s a fall tradition, inviting community members to gather near the creek, to sing and drum during a short gathering that also includes writing messages for the returnees.
(Judy Pickens and Dennis Hinton)
The gathering was emceed by Judy Pickens, who – along with husband Phil Sweetland – also has long volunteered for Salmon in the Schools, which will be different for local participants this year as culvert work in Fauntleroy Creek will prevent the release of campus-raised fry, which Judy says will be taken instead to West Seattle’s other major salmon-bearing stream, Longfellow Creek.
But the springtime releases are just part of the circle of life – there’s “home hatch” too, thanks to some of the returnees (347 spawners counted last year). The songs led again this year by Jamie Shilling (above) told the story, as did the drumming – which, as Judy recounted, is meant to mimic the female salmon’s tail slapping the creek bed, making a redd for her eggs.
Participants were discouraged today from going to creekside because – like so many other areas of West Seattle – trees lost limbs last night. But as an afternoon sunbreak peeked through the still-standing trees, a creek-reminiscent blue banner was held over tiny dancers:
Those in attendance ranged from infants to seniors – including 93-year-old volunteer Dick Paynter, honored as the eldermost volunteer in the Watershed Council’s ranks:
(Dennis Hinton and Dick Paynter)
Dick declared himself “overwhelmed” by the honor and explained how much the creek work has meant to him, with his interest dating back to his college years as a fisheries major.
And the singing went on, softly: “Hey, hey, coho … return, return, return.”
Once they do start returning, Judy promises updates, as always, and watch for word of a potential “open creek” event if and when weather, safety, and salmon permit.
| 4 COMMENTS